Transverse runners for grids for suspended tile ceilings



Sept. 1, 1970 E. BRADY 3,526,073

TRANSVERSE RUNNERS FOR GRIDS FOR SUSPENDED TILE CEILINGS Filed April 14, 1969 EU6NE BRADY INVENTOR.

I R M 542 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,526,073 TRANSVERSE RUNNERS FOR GRIDS FOR SUSPENDED TILE CEILINGS Eugene Brady, Ardsley, N.Y., assignor to Acoustical Ceiling Accessories Co., Inc., Bronx, N.Y. Filed Apr. 14, 1969, Ser. No. 815,893

Int. Cl. E04c 2/42 US. Cl. 52-667 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to grid structures for use in supporting the tiles, such as acoustical tiles, of suspended tile ceilings, or the like.

Grids for suspending tile ceilings, of the character described, are generally formed of inverted T-shaped runners or beams whose transverse section forms flanges for supporting the edges of the tiles, and whose upright web section serves for supporting the runner in suspended position from the structure from which the ceiling is to be suspended. The runners forming the grid include main runners which are arranged in spaced, parallel relation and are formed from a plurality of runner units connected in end-abutting relation; and transverse runners which are connected in spaced, parallel relation between adjacent main runners by means of tongues at their ends that pass through slots formed in the webs of the main runners and which are interengaged on one another.

Heretofore the tongues of transverse runners passing through a single opening of the slot in the web of the main runner have been interengaged either by passing the tongue end of each runner through an opening in the web of the connected runner and then re-entrantly folding the projecting tongue end. Another way of engaging the transverse runners is to provide their tongues with oppositely-extending indentations and projections, with the projection of one of the tongues interengaging in the indentations of the other.

The foregoing methods of joining the transverse runners presented certain disadvantages. Thus, in the first of the methods described above, the pushing of a tongue end of one runner into the opening of the web of the companion runner involves a degree of inconvenience and fumbling in locating the opening, pushing the tongue end through it, and then manipulating the projecting tongue end for re-entrant folding. In the second method described above, interengagement of necessarily shallow projections in indentations which are also necessarily shallow is not always secure and is subject to occasional loosening and disengagement.

It is an object of the present invention to provide transverse runners for suspended ceiling grids that obviate the foregoing disadvantages and present additional advantages over the like runners of the prior art.

It is, thus, an object of the present invention to provide runners, of the character described, which may be engaged on one another with ease and simplicity and without any need for directing or pushing any part through holes in a companion runner.

It is another object of the present invention to provide transverse runners, of the character described, which may 3,526,073 Patented Sept. 1, 1970 be safely interengaged against inadvertent loosening of their interengagement.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide transverse runners, of the character described, which may be singly passed through a slot in the web of a main runner and be engaged against withdrawal from said slot without interengagement of or through another transverse runner passed through the same slot to thereby make possible the easy engagement of a transverse runner in the endmost main runner of a ceiling grid.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the transverse runners for grid structures, of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiments thereof shown in accompanying drawing, and from the description following. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiments are shown by way of illustration only, to make the principles and practice of the invention more readily comprehensible and without any intent of limiting the invention to the specific details therein shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, elevational view, partly in sec tion, showing a pair of runners in the step of being connected through a slot formed in the web of the main runner, with the end of one of the webs of the transverse runner engaged within such slot and the end of the other transverse runner in position of movement through said slot;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, showing the ends of both of the transverse runners passed through said slot;

FI-G.3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, showing the end of the web of one transverse runner engaged over the end of the web of the other transverse runner to thereby lock them both in place; and

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of FIG. 3.

Referring now in greater detail to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, a main runner generally shown at 10, comprises an upright or web portion, 12, with a transverse portion, 14, at its bottom,

1 forming ledges, 15, to each side of web 12, serving as supporting flanges for tiles, and a reinforcing bead, 16, at its upper edge by which the runner may be engaged by a suspension clamp. Such main runner 10 is formed at longitudinally-spaced intervals with slots, 18, for receiving the ends of transverse runners generally designated as 20; such slots 18 being of lesser height than web 12 and terminating short of both, its upper and lower edges.

Each runner 20 is likewise formed with an upright web portion, 22, and with a transverse portion, 24, at its bottom, and a bead, 26, at its upper edge.

One of the transverse runners 20 may be provided, at

least at one end, with a tongue extension, 28, projecting outwardly from its web 22. Tongue 28 is inwardly oifset from its transverse bottom 24, with its lower edge, 30, tapering slightly upwardly a distance equal to slightly less than the width of a ledge 15 of a runner 10, and to a height equal to the distance from the lower end of a slot 18 of the transverse portion 14 of the runner 10. Lower edge 30 is then preferably bent to be parallel to transverse portion 24, as at 35, and then dip downwardly, to form a nose or hook, 36. The upper edge of tongue extension 28 preferably dips down sharply from the end of head 26, as at 38, to a point slightly below the upper edge of a slot 18 and then slopes upwardly, as at 39, to a point above the upper end of a slot 18 and slightly less than the width of the ledge 15, forming a shoulder, 40, and then dips downwardly to a point substantially even with the width of ledge 15 and the upper end of a slot 18 to form a shoulder, 41, at which point it is bent, as at 42,

a to be parallel to a portion 35 of the lower edge. Thence,

the upper and lower edge taper to narrow the tongue extension 28 to its terminal.

It will be clear that, as thus formed, tongue extension 28 may have its forward end inserted through a slot 18 in a runner and hooked therein when its transverse portion 24 is level with transverse portion 14 of runner 10, against removal therefrom, by hook nose 36, and against moving further inwardly therethrough by the downward sloping shoulder 42, as shown at right in FIG. 1.

Another transverse runner 20a may be provided with a tongue, 44, at the end of its web 22. Tongue extension 44 may likewise have its bottom edge, 46, offset inwardly from the transverse portion 24, and slope upwardly a distance slightly less than the width of a ledge 15 of a main runner 10 to a point approximately even with the lower end of a slot 18 thereof and then bend downwardly for a short distance, as at 48, and then sharply upwardly to a point approximately even with the bottom of the bead 16, to provide sharply upwardly slanting edge 50.

The upper edge, 52, of the tongue 44 dips sharply outwardly and downwardly, as at 54, to a point slightly above the upper end of a slot 18, and then outwardly parallel to the upper edge of the web 22 and then downwardly, as at 55,- to a point on a level with the upper end of a slot 18, at a point substantially even with the inner end of a ledge 15, and then outwardly a short distance parallel to edge portion 55 and then upwardly, as at 56, to form a notch and continuing to a point above the upper end of a slot 18. The upper portions of edge portions 50 and 56 preferably taper to substantially intersect and to form a tongue projection, 58. The tongue projection 58 may be provided with a weakenedportion at a point even with the upper end of a slot 18, such as the cut-out opening, 60, or a score-line.

As shown to the left in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the runner a having the tongue 44 may be held in upwardlytilted position and, in that position, have the tongue projection 58 passed through a slot 18, until the the notch formed by edge portions 54, 55 and 56 is disposed below the upper edge of slot 18. The runner 20a may then be straightened into parallel relation with runner 20, so that the bottom edge portion 46 of the tongue engages over the lower edge of slot 18 and the tongue projection 58 extends above the downwardly-slanting shoulder 40 of tongue 28. Tongue projection 58 may then be bent over the shoulder 40 of tongue 28, along its weakened portion, to interengage the same, with the inner end of edge portion 50 abutting the marginal edge portion of slot 18, to thereby interengage and immobilize the two runners 20 and 20a. If desired, an embossment, 62, may be formed in the outwardly-facing surface of tongue 44, to provide a tight fit of tongues 28 and 44 within a slot 18.

This completes the description of the transverse runners for a suspended grid for a tile ceiling and the joints formed by them with the main runners of the grid, as contemplated by the present invention. It will be clear that such transverse runners are substantially self-alining for interconnection and that they may be quickly interconnected by the simple operation of bending a portion of one tongue over an edge of the other tongue; and that when interconnected the two runners are substantially immobilized against displacement from one another and against loosening movement in any direction. It will also be apparent that the foldable tongue extension of a transverse runner may be interengaged directly with a main runner without the presence of an interconnecting transverse runner, as when such main runner is the marginal runner of a grid, by the simple expedient of re-entrantly folding the projecting end to a position less than parallel to its main extension, whereby such projecting end will abut the marginal edge portion of a slot 18 to prevent the withdrawal of the tongue extension over such slot.

It will be further apparent that numerous variations and modifications may be made in the transverse runners for suspended tile ceiling grids of the present invention, by anyone skilled in the art, in accordance with the principles of the invention hereinabove set forth, Without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity.

What I claim is:

1. Transverse runners for a suspended tile ceiling grid, said grid including main runners comprising a web portion and a transverse portion extending to each side of said web portion, at its bottom edge, said main runner having upright slots formed in its web portion terminating short of its upper and lower edges, said transverse runners each comprising a web portion and a transverse portion at the bottom edge of said web portion extending to each side thereof, one of said transverse runners having a tongue extending from its web portion at one end thereof in inwardly oflFset relation to its upper and lower edges, and of a length greater than the width of a ledge of said main runner, said web extension reduced in height at a distance from the end of the transverse portion thereof to a height equal to the height of a slot in said main runner, and another of said transverse runners having a tongue extending from its web at an end thereof in inwardly offset relation to its upper and lower edges and of a length greater than the width of a ledge of said main runner, said web extension of the other of said transverse runners reduced in height at a point distant from the end of said transverse portion thereof equal to the width of a ledge to a height equal to the height of a slot of said main runner and having a projection, outwardly of said reduced portion, extending in the direction of the upper edge of its connected web portion, said projection insertable through a slot of a' main runner and foldable over the upper edge of the web extension of the one transverse runner inserted through the same slot.

2. The transverse runners of claim 1, wherein said web extension of said one runner is formed with a depending projection at the lower edge thereof outwardly of said reduced portion thereof adapted to engage against the lower marginal edge portion of a slot in a main runner through which said extension is inserted.

3. The transverse runner of claim 2, wherein said web extension of said one transverse runner is formed with an upwardlyextending shoulder inwardly of said reduced portion thereof, adapted to engage against the marginal edge portion of the upper end of said main runner slot.

4. The transverse runners of claim 1, wherein said Web extension of said other runner is formed with an upwardly-extending shoulder in its upper edge inwardly of said reduced portion thereof adapted to abut the upper marginal edge portion of a slot into which it is inserted.

5. The transverse runners of claim 1, wherein said upward projection of said extension of said web extension of said other runner is formed with a weakened area at the point of folding.

6. The transverse runners of claim 3, wherein said portion of the upper edge of the web extension of said one runner, inwardly of said shoulder, is disposed at an angle not greater than to the lower edge of said web.

7. The transverse runners of claim 3, wherein the upper edge of said extension of said one runner, inwardly of said shoulder, is disposed at a sloping angle less than 180 to the lower edge of said web.

8. The transverse runner of claim 3, wherein said web extension of said other runner is formed with a shoulder in its upper edge inwardly of said reduced portion thereof, adapted to abut the marginal edge portion of a slot into which it is inserted.

9. The transverse grid runners of claim 1, wherein each of said runners is formed with one of said web extensions at one of its ends and the other of said web extensions at its other end.

10. A grid for suspended tile ceilings, comprising inverted T-shaped runners including main runners having vertical slots in their upright portions, and transverse runners, said transverse runners having end extensions of their upright portions, the extensions of two of said transverse runners inserted through one of said slots in the upright portion of a main runner from opposite sides of said upright portion; the extension of each of said runners partly projecting from said slot with the projecting end of the extension of one of said runners foldable over the upper edge of the inner end of the extension of the other of said runners in said slot.

11. The grid of claim 9, wherein each said extension of each said transverse runner is formed with means engaging the marginal portions of the ends of said slot when said transverse runners are disposed at a level with said main runner.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ALFRED C. PERHAM, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

